HOME REJUVENATED!

This project perfectly exemplifies what Home Rejuvenation is all about - the speedy and efficient re-design of living spaces to meet the changing needs and requirements of the home owner.

A while back, I received a call for assistance to 'rescue' a room in a private condominium located in the East Coast area. Springing swiftly into action, I paid a visit to the unit that very evening and was greeted by the friendly owners, who promptly showed me the room that is supposedly so in need of help.

Ground level - after

It turned out to be a sparsely decorated (or can I even use that term?) room in which the owners work, and which doubles as a makeshift room for the occasional guest. The owners had wanted to explore what could be done to make better use of the space - they very much wanted to utilize the tall ceiling to their advantage. On my end, I think the room feels very unwelcoming and its potential certainly has not been fully realized yet.

Before

Two weeks later, I met the duo again and put up a design which encompasses all of their earlier ideas but fine tuned to fit the profile of the tiny room. The thought of loft-style sleeping may not be everyone's cup of tea but in this case, the home owners gladly welcomed the idea of a bed deck raised above the floor level. For small, tall-but-not-quite-double-height apartments like this, this layout can help make the most out of the low square-footage and expand upon the constraints of the room.

Ground level layout

Bed deck level layout

My proposal calls for the bed deck - fit for a queen-sized mattress - to go right up above the entrance of the room, partly supported by a newly created wardrobe beneath. A thick vertical supporting frame structure integrates into the design of an adjoining book storage cabinet/ stair and the front door panels partition off the flight of steps that leads up to the higher level at the far end. The supporting struts concealed within the entire bed deck above is inserted into the existing walls at all contacting sides for stability. Below, the long L-shaped table offered plenty of working top for two. With soft lighting illuminating each corner strategically, this rejuvenated room is a combination of coziness and openness.

In progress - day 1

In progress - day 3

In progress - day 5

In progress - day 7

With their approval, on-site works started very quickly. While the bed structure is being fabricated in the factory, the painters and electricians promptly came in after the existing furniture and fittings in the room are removed. I suggested a neutral scheme of colors for the shell of the room, punctuated with just a dosh of purple on the cabinet door panels. The addition of a mini propeller fan installed onto the arched false ceiling proved to be simpler than I had initially thought, and helps to keep the environment up there cool without the use of air conditioning all the time.

Two steel columns that were originally planned to offer additional support below were scrapped with the consent of the structural engineer engaged for this project.

Ground level - after

Before

Steps to bed deck level

In a matter of two short weeks, the rejuvenated room morphed into a pretty self-sufficient space - short of a kitchenette, this room could really be a shoe-box apartment in itself! It's no surprise that the owners are all praises for the result and extremely joyous to see this once-dingy room of theirs completely transformed. And that, to us, is already a job well done!